This award provides funds to continue COCORP's program of deep seismic reflection investigation of the continental basement within the United States. Specifically, during this award period the main activity will involve the acquisition of an experimental explosive CMP profile within the Williston basin, the specific goal being to characterize Moho and upper mantle reflectivity in the region, as part of an ongoing effort to understand the origin of intracratonic basins. The broader goal is to test whether low-fold explosive profiling with "super multi-channel" receiver arrays can provide a practical, and cost-effective means of imaging the lower crust and upper mantle over wide regions of the cratons. The project will involve Cornell personnel as well as key outside investigators. The program will continue to take advantage of the advanced capabilities of Amoco's SGR (Seismic Group Recorder) - equipped research seismic reflection crew, and for the first time will involve collaboration with the U.S.G.S. for the collection of explosive data.
